Cleansed
by avintagekiss24
Summary: It's been six days since Negan. Six days of pain. Six days of regrets. Six days to wonder where they went wrong. Michonne knows better, and soon, Rick will too.


Cleansed

It's been six days. Six days since Maggie got sick. Six days since Michonne, Daryl, Rosita, and Glenn were taken. Six days since Negan. Six days since... Glenn. Six days of being locked in the house, staring at the ceiling of the living room from the couch. Six days of listening to Rick scream and cry and break things. Six days of comforting Carl and Judith, assuring them that he'll be okay. Six days of hearing him pacing up and down the bedroom, talking to thin air. Six days of insanity. Six whole days. The guilt and the pain is tearing him apart and she can't stand it any longer. She doesn't want to fall asleep on the couch anymore. She doesn't want to be locked out of their bedroom anymore. She doesn't want to hear him crying himself to sleep any goddamn more.

The sun breaks through the windows in the living room as the clock strikes one. Carl and Judy are out for a walk, Daryl is sound asleep in his room, nursing his gunshot wound. Michonne creeps up the stairs, listening intently for any sounds of Rick being awake. She tiptoes down the hall, coming to a stop at their closed off bedroom. She places her hands gently on the door, leaning in to try and hear him, but there's nothing. She tries the knob but it's still locked. She pulls out her pocket knife and flips out the blade, slipping it between the door jam and the wooden door. She fiddles for a few minutes until it pops open and lends her a sliver of a view into the room.

She pushes the door open a little further, her breath hitching a little as her eyes take in the mess he's made. The lamps are in pieces all over the floor. Picture frames, books, clothes, shoes, even the curtains join the tiny little pieces of lamp all over the room. Her eyes shift to him on the bed, his back to her, rising and falling softly, leading her to believe that he's asleep. She takes a breath and moves slowly towards him, crawling along the bed to inch closer to him. She reaches out slowly, her fingers trembling as they push towards his curly hair. She brushes the tips of his curls but instantly recoils when he jerks violently away from her touch.

"Don't." His voice is low and gritty, completely gutted from no food or water or sleep in so many days.

"Rick," she whispers.

"I said don't." He warns, his voice harsh, "Michonne, please."

She turns away from him, biting the inside of her mouth as she looks around the room. She blinks a few times, breathing heavily through her mouth before she drops her head. He hasn't even changed his clothes. She closes her eyes and takes another breath. He's not ready. She doesn't want to push him but she misses him. He's not ready.

"Rick, please." Her voice wavers.

"Get out Michonne."

She turns back towards him, reaching out her hand again to rest of his back, "Babe." She whispers.

He says nothing. He just jerks away from her again and lets out a deep sigh, returning his lost gaze out the window. They sit silence for only God knows how long. Michonne wants to get up and leave but her body just won't let her. She can't give up on him. She won't. So she continues to sit there, her back to him, facing the door with no words passing between them. Then suddenly, she feels him shift behind her. His hands snake around her warm middle and his forehead presses into her back. He tightens his grasp and instantly her hands are covering his, stroking them gently as a small smile settles on her lips. It's nice to feel his touch after six long days.

"Come with me." Michonne whispers, staring at the door. When he doesn't answer, she turns slightly, glancing down at his still dirty face, "Rick, come with me please. I wanna show you something."

His piercing blue eyes stare into her darks ones, unsure of what exactly she's asking. He lets her stand and take his hand but he doesn't budge. She pulls harder but he still doesn't move, "Rick. Please." Her voice breaks as she pleads with him and it's just one more thing that breaks his already bruised and bleeding heart. He shrugs off of the bed and lets her guide him down the stairs and right out the front door. He winces in the sunlight, raising his free hand above his face to shield his tired eyes from the sudden intrusion of light. She pulls him toward the front gates of Alexandria, looking up at Sasha as they reach the threshold. Silent words pass between the women as Eugene turns to open the gate for them.

"He looks like shit." Sasha breathes, watching the two disappear down the road.

"We all look like shit." Eugene answers, shutting the gate behind them and grabbing his rifle again.

They two of them walk for what seems like an hour, not a word passing between them as she drags him through the empty streets. They come upon a few stray walkers but they duck into the woods, quickening their pace to leave them behind.

"Michonne, where are we going?" Rick finally asks as she continues pulling him through the trees, his arm outstretched as she sets a furious pace in front of him.

They step through a clearing and there it is. The most beautiful sight Rick or Michonne has seen since this whole damn apocalypse got started. A rushing stream flows before them and just beyond it a field of lush, green grass. It seems to be the only place that hasn't been tainted by the world. Some of the flowers are trampled by the walkers but they're still there, still growing, still flourishing by the bank. With the sun breaking through the trees, it looks as if God himself is smiling down on that little slice of land. Like it's the only heaven left on earth.

"Daryl and I came across it a while back," Michonne whispers, staring out over the water, "I was going to bring you here but never got the chance."

She drops his hand and turns to him, taking him in. He shirt is wrinkled and bloody, dirt smashed into the thin material. His face is dirty, his hair unruly and wildly curly. He's so tired. Mentally, emotionally, physically; and it's written all over his ruggedly handsome face. She reaches towards him and tugs at the bottom of his shirt, pulling it straight over his head to reveal his bare chest. She starts on his jeans, fumbling with his fly until it's undone and pushes the thick material down his legs. He keeps his eyes on her as she kneels to remove his boots and then his boxers. She steps away from him and quickly removes her clothes before grabbing his hand again and stepping into the mud of the bank.

She leads them both into the stream and sinks down, closing her eyes as the warm water envelopes her naked body. Rick glances over her, his mind easing a little as he takes in her beauty. The bright sun bounces off her dark skin in the most delicious of ways as she tilts her head back to dip her dreads into the water. He blinks slowly at his lover as she opens her eyes again and makes eye contact with him. She says nothing but her eyes beg him for something, anything. A touch, a kiss, an I love you, something. _Anything_.

 _I'm struggling too Rick, please. Please._

He reaches out for her and pulls her small body through the water and crushes her to his chest. He holds her tightly as she wraps her arms around his neck, resting her chin against his shoulder. Rick's hands move along her naked back, stroking her softly and he feels the tension leave her body at his touch. Her long fingers curl into his wet hair as she hangs on, her eyes welling with tears as she stares down the length of the stream. A sob escapes her lips and he tightens his grip on her, closing his eyes as he drops sweet kisses along her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Rick chokes out, "I let you down. I'm so sorry."

She shakes her head as a tear escapes down her face, tightening her grip around him as well, "Don't do that." She whispers, "It's not your fault."

The sun continues to beat down on their naked bodies as they bathe each other in the heavenly water, unbothered by the world around them. Michonne dips her hand into the water and cups some, bringing it to the top of his head. He closes his eyes and lets out a soft breath as the cool water trickles down his forehead and through his hair. He lets her hands roam along his face and neck as she rubs softly, cleaning him slowly. She dips her hands in the water again and digs her long digits into his hair as she lowers her forehead to his.

For the first time in years, they listen to the birds chirping. Michonne gazes up at the white, puffy clouds as Rick spins her in slow circles as she floats on her back, her legs wrapped around his waist. He lifts her back up to face him and captures her plump lips in between his own. His cool tongue invades her warm mouth and she moans deeply into him, desperately in need of this tender moment. He suddenly smiles against her lips, something so unexpected that it takes him by surprise. Only she could have this effect on him. Only she can pull him from the absolute depths of despair. He closes his eyes again and spins them around and around in the water, kissing her nose and cheeks and forehead and chin as he links their fingers together.

Rick kisses her deeply again, letting all of his pain, his fear, his anger, his sadness dissolve. He can't let this woman down. Not this woman. She needs him. Carl needs him, Judith, Daryl... they all need Rick Grimes. But she _needs_ him. All of him. His body begins to stir as her lips travel along his jawline and find that tiny spot just behind his ear. She mumbles something but he doesn't quite catch it as he becomes acutely aware of her hardening nipples against his chest. A shiver passes through her as his fingers skim along her hip and thigh methodically. He lowers his mouth to her throat, sucking on her supple skin like a leach as she tilts her head back and lets out a soft moan. He moves along her collarbone as she massages his head, her head still tilted towards the heavens as her breathing quickens.

He pulls back from her suddenly. He stares at her as she rejoins him on earth, her eyes wide as she breathes harshly through her open mouth. Her eyes search around wildly, almost expecting some sort of danger to be lurking just a few feet away but there's nothing. Just him and her. Just like it used to be after the prison fell. Rick takes a breath, then cups her cheeks with his large hands and pulls her into a deafening kiss, so deep, so passionate, so powerful that she feels him in her soul. She loves this man, her man. She needed him back and she got him.

He pushes them towards the bank and lays her into the mud and grass. He quickly covers her body with his, settling in between her thighs with great ease. He wraps her legs around his waist, letting his fingers skip along her smooth skin before intertwining their fingers as he sinks into her awaiting body. She gasps at his intrusion, biting down on her bottom lip as he fills her up. Rick rolls his hips into her as his eye lids flutter shut at the tightness of her walls around him. This woman. His mouth falls open as he moves slowly in and out of her womanhood, his breath hitching slightly as her sweetness envelopes him.

The warm breeze washes over them as Michonne tries to keep her moans soft as he loves her wholeheartedly. Rick slides his fingers down the length of her body, starting at her chest, in between her soft breasts, and down her flat stomach until they reach their destination. His index and middle fingers slip in between her wet folds and begin to massage her center as he continues to rock into her. She shudders, pulling at his hair roughly and biting down on his shoulder to muffle her screams. She digs her feet into the mud as she squirms beneath him, lifting her hips to meet his half way to create a pressure deep within her. The wind whips through the trees again and comingles with their bodies, making them not only one with each other but with the hard earth around them.

Rick's chest tightens with each thrust as she clings to him and all he wants is to make her happy. Make her forget. Make her remember the good times when they were safe. He deepens his thrusts and quickens his pace, pushing her higher and higher, faster and faster towards her sweet release. She squeezes her thighs against either side of his waist and lets her body go, giving into him completely. Her orgasm ripples through her tight, tense body like a series of waves crashing upon a desolate beach. Rick spills into her seconds later, his body tensing involuntarily as his hips jerk while he empties himself into her.

He lowers his head to her chest, leaving sloppy kisses along her collarbone and neck. Michonne stares up into the sky and her fingertips trace invisible lines along his broad, muscular back. Rick nuzzles into her breasts as a feeling of calm and safety consumes him for the first time in six days. His brilliant blue eyes stare down the length of the bank as his mind wanders back to home. Back to Maggie. Back to Glenn. Back to what he has to do to keep the rest of his family safe.

"Thank you." He whispers after a while, lifting his head just enough to kiss her still wet skin, "Thank you for this."

"I love you." She answers back, "I've missed you."

He lifts his head again, looking down into her beautiful, dark eyes, "I'm here. I'm here now." He professes, his voice deep and full of promise.

She nods, her eyes welling up again, "I'm here too." She whispers as a distant memory of Glenn plays out before her. The memory soon fades and she's back in defense mode, "We're cleansed now," She says softly, working her hands through his hair, "It's time to get to work."

He nods slowly, his eyes scanning her face, "It's time to take our place in the world back."


End file.
